Earlier in the year, or maybe it was late last year, I’m not sure, days/months/years are all blending into each other, I was gifted two big tubs of woolen fabric. It came from one of my husbands coworkers mum, who was downsizing. It looks like she made some really lovely things in the past!
A lot of it was remnants, some of it had been cut out into pieces to make coats, but there was A LOT of it!
I didn’t really have the space to store it, so I committed to using as much of it as I could, as quick as I could. It was about the same time that I discovered “Twig and Tale” patterns and fell in love with their… everything… really! Their instructions are brilliant, with photos and video tutorials, and their patterns are simple yet beautiful. There are a few things I have been searching for years for the perfect pattern, and there are other things I never knew I needed in my life! So, I suspect I will be sharing a few projects based on their patterns in the future, this being the first as you will see if you keep reading…
Sorting through the boxes
As I sorted through the boxes, the fabric grouped itself into piles of different colours. I ended up with a pile of greens, reds, purples, browns and “other stuff”. The “other stuff” got sorted again into pieces I wanted to keep and pieces I would pass on. Turns out, my Nanna had just started a project using up-cycled wool, so a box was quickly sent over to her.
The piles of red, green and purple were perfect for turning into cloaks. I used the “Twig and Tale” “Traveller Cape” pattern in the largest/longest size to maximize coziness! The brown pieces will be another project. I haven’t quite worked out what yet, but I envision applique and embroidery…
I settled on three cloaks. One for my mum and one for each of my two sisters, whom all had birthdays in May, the perfect time frame to work within!
Making the cloaks
I took each pile of fabric and pieced together enough to fit the pattern pieces on. This was an easy process for the green and red cloaks, as there was nice big pieces of fabric to work with. The purple cloak was much harder, the pieces were much smaller and I had to do a lot more piecing, but the results were worth it!
The green and purple lining fabrics were op-shop finds, with a little extra fabric added in places to make sure there was enough. For the red lining, I was extra fussy, and ended up buying fabric that matched nicer than anything I could find in my cupboard.
If you look closely at the photos, you will notice the lovely big buttons securing the fronts. My mum has a button collection of epic proportions. At one point she gave me a giant bottle of metallic buttons for a different project. I was convinced I didn’t have the right buttons to finish the cloaks until my husband persuaded me to look through the giant bottle, low and behold! We found the perfect buttons to match each cloak! And the buttons go on to live adventures outside a glass jar!
The finished cloaks
I can’t choose which one is my favourite, it varies from day to day! The green one has been described as something Molly Weasley would wear! I would agree! And the red one is such a “little red riding hood” cape! The purple one is a patchworked delight!
I’m so grateful to be the recipient of such a wonderful source of materials! It has inspired me and kept me creatively busy! There will be many more projects yet to be made from fabric from the boxes, so keep an eye out!
In the mean time, stay creative, and stay safe!
<3 Cate
I love my red cloak! It’s going to be great as it warms up and I have to give up my long cloak